


Starlessness in Mirkwood

by Hiver_Frost_Elf



Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Lord of the Rings (Movies)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Alternate Universe, Caretaking, Caring Thranduil, Elves, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Sleep, The king of Mirkwood would like to remind you to WASH YOUR FREAKIN' HANDS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:42:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23361154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hiver_Frost_Elf/pseuds/Hiver_Frost_Elf
Summary: Thranduil tends to the starless Elves of his kingdom.Starlessness is a state that Elves become when they neglect themselves or otherwise need tending to.  It changes their bodies and minds to a younger form.  Only ruling Elves don't undergo starlessness, hence why the king needs to do the tending.Nobody mentions that he could have servants do it instead, nor does he himself bring it up.
Relationships: Feren (Hobbit Movies) & Thranduil (Tolkien), Galion & Thranduil (Tolkien), Legolas Greenleaf & Thranduil, Tauriel (Hobbit Movies) & Thranduil (Tolkien)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 57





	Starlessness in Mirkwood

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a silly bit of fluff I wrote because why write only one AU when you can write two at the same time?

Thranduil summoned all the parental patience he had to say, “Feren, I am not telling you again, get in bed right now!”

“No!” the dungeonmaster said before running into Thranduil’s study, slamming the door behind him.

Thranduil took a deep breath.

A very deep breath.

Before following the boy.

Thranduil looked down and found Galion who was Hobbit-sized and fast asleep. Thranduil picked him up and chuckled fondly, “I nearly kicked you, my little wine expert.”

Granted, in this form, Galion was far too young to practice his wine expertise. Fetching bottle after bottle at the Feast of Starlight had thoroughly taxed him.

Thranduil brought him to the bed. It was circular and walled to prevent its occupants from rolling out of it in the middle of the night—or the day, when it was naptime. It was piled high with blankets, pillows, and plush friends. Thranduil tucked him under one blanket and with the toy butterfly as Galion preferred.

Legolas was already there with his knees under a blanket and his eyes half-lidded. Once his mighty yawn finished squeaking out, his thumb returned to his mouth. Legolas leaned on Thranduil and held a bundle of his father’s hair when he drew near.

Tauriel returned from the bathroom, and Legolas bounded into it with energy that surprised Thranduil. Tauriel and Thranduil winced when the door slammed.

Thranduil futilely said, “I promise the doors close just as well when they’re closed gently…”

Thranduil shook his head and turned his attention to Tauriel, who was standing a good distance from the bed. She joined him when he lay upon the floor to check under it.

“What’s that!?”

Thranduil followed her finger to an object in the shadows.

“Don’t touch it, it’ll bite you, and you’ll die!” she said, crawling away from the bed. Her patrol had recently fought off one of those dreadful spiders. No one had gotten poisoned, but even her starless form still bore the gash it’d cut across her ankle.

Thranduil reached into the shadows and presented it to her when they both stood up again. It was a toy deer styled after his steed.

“Arodarasion won’t bite you,” Thranduil said. “He’ll protect you from those nasty things with his great antlers.”

Tauriel, who’d been on the verge of tears, held the toy close and crawled under the covers.

“Thank you, King Ada,” she sniffled, smiling.

Thranduil stooped to kiss her forehead, “You’re very much welcome, my little captain. Sleep well.”

“You too, King Ada,” and after that, Tauriel got right to sleep. Thranduil smiled at the appellation.

Legolas returned.

“Did you wash your hands?” Thranduil asked.

Legolas went back to the bathroom.

Thranduil groaned.

Legolas returned once more.

“Have you brushed your teeth?”

Once more unto the breach…

Legolas came back one last and flopped onto bed, content to stay where he lay until sunup, apparently. Thranduil set him to rights where he burrowed under a mountain of covers. His head could barely be seen beneath them all. One skinny arm grabbed every nearby cloth doll and dragged them to the depths below.

“Good night, my little leaf.”

Thranduil stood up and was moving towards the study when Legolas poked his head out to say, “Losto vae, Ada.”

Thranduil paused, touched. Every word taxed Legolas’s starless form heavily.

“Ollo vae, ion-nin.”

Finally, Thranduil sought out Feren. Elf eyes saw well enough in the dark, and soon enough, Thranduil found another pair of elf eyes under his desk.

Thranduil moved his chair away and sat down on the floor in front of Feren. The young form of the dungeonmaster glared at him fiercely.

Some rivals had gotten into a fight last week. They’d taken all of Feren’s strength to contain. Apparently, one of them had grabbed at Feren’s arm and yanked him against the cell bars, triggering a starless state that was still ongoing. Feren was acting rebellious, but Thranduil had seen him tense whenever he’d reached for him. So instead, Thranduil waited, making no sudden movements with his hands or arms.

Eventually, Feren’s glare turned into tears, and he crawled over to Thranduil. Thranduil stayed there and held him while he cried.

“No one’s gonna hurt me?” the boy asked.

“No,” Thranduil said. “There’s guards at the door, and this whole hallway is hidden from the building blueprints and from plain sight. No one comes here except for my permission or by request of its occupants. This is likely the safest place in the citadel. Even my chambers aren’t so secret.”

Feren sniffled, then wiped his eyes with his sleeve before bundling his body even smaller in Thranduil’s hold.

“Would you like me to stay until you fall asleep?”

Feren looked up at him with damp eyes and nodded.

Thranduil brought them both to a rocking chair in the bedroom. Thranduil had seen him once, outside his starless state, balancing his seat in the dungeons on two legs, then bringing it down and repeating the process. The gentle motion of the rocking chair coaxed Feren asleep. Frankly, it also assured Thranduil to know that Feren felt safe at last.

Thranduil tucked him in under two covers and a layer of fur with a plush horse. Feren never started the night with the horse, yet it somehow always ended up with him by morning.

“Good night, my little dungeonmaster,” Thranduil said.

He smiled upon them all before heading over to the side chamber for his own rest that night.

**Author's Note:**

> Ada = Dad / Daddy
> 
> Arodarasion = "noble deer son" / "son of [the] noble deer"
> 
> Losto vae, Ada = sleep well, Dad / Daddy
> 
> Ollo vae, ion-nin = dream well, my son
> 
> Thanks for taking time to read this; enjoy what you do here and everywhere!


End file.
